at 18:30 (JST), September 13

Asian View

"Asian View" is a five-minute news segment broadcast by NHK WORLD-JAPAN. It features the latest news and deep analysis from Japan and the rest of Asia. Listen to "Asian View" and get the latest information from a region that's playing an increasingly important role in the world.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20220913183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : poll 40 percent
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_25/

An NHK opinion poll shows that the approval rating for Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's Cabinet has fallen to 40 percent, the lowest since its launch in October.

NHK conducted the telephone survey on 2,392 randomly chosen citizens aged 18 or older from Friday through Sunday. More than 1,250 people responded.

The support rate fell by 6 points from the previous survey conducted last month. The disapproval rating rose 12 points to 40 percent.

Among the respondents who support the Cabinet, 42 percent said it seems better than other lineups, 25 percent said it consists of political parties they support, and another 17 percent said they trust Kishida.

Of those who don't support the Cabinet, 36 percent said they don't expect much from its policies, 29 percent said it lacks the ability to implement policies, and 12 percent said it does not consist of political parties they support.

Regarding the state funeral planned on September 27 for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who was fatally shot in July, 32 percent said they approve, while 57 percent said they don't.

Asked whether the government has fully explained the decision to hold the state funeral, 15 percent said yes, while 72 percent said no.

The suspect in Abe's shooting has reportedly said he believed that Abe was close to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, a religious group formerly known as the Unification Church. He blames the group for bankrupting his family.

Since the incident, relations between the church and the political world have been in the spotlight.

The main ruling LDP decided to sever all ties with the group and its affiliates, and carried out an in-house survey of its lawmakers' individual relationships with the group.

When asked if the LDP has done enough, 22 percent responded positively, while 65 percent said the response was insufficient.

Key words : xi putin face-to-face
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_30/

The Chinese foreign ministry announced on Monday that President Xi Jinping will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan this week.

Xi is scheduled to visit the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from Wednesday to Friday.

This will be Xi's first trip outside China since he visited Myanmar in January 2020, at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a security and economic cooperation framework led by China and Russia. The summit will be held on Thursday and Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he would hold face-to-face talks with Xi on the sidelines of the summit.

In early February, Xi and Putin held talks in Beijing when Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games there.

The two leaders have held phone talks twice since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

The focus of their upcoming talks would be how Xi expresses his stance on Russia, ahead of the Chinese Communist Party's National Congress scheduled for next month.

Xi is expected to seek an unusual third term as party leader at the Congress.

Key words : chinese officials earthquake magnitude 6.8
#N/A


Key words : marcos
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_34/

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the commemoration of the 105th birth anniversary of his namesake late father on Sunday.

Marcos declared September 12 as a special holiday in his home province to mark the occasion, causing dismay among human rights activists.

His 93-year-old mother, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, joined him in offering prayers at the tomb of the late dictator at the Heroes' Cemetery in Metro Manila.

Marcos Jr. said celebrating his father's birthday will keep his memory alive.

He said, "It is a rebirth, of not, perhaps, the physical body of Ferdinand Marcos, but it is a rebirth of his dreams, of his wisdom, of his love for his country."

Marcos Jr. also met with residents in the northern province of Ilocos Norte, his father's birthplace.

His announcement of the holiday there angered a group of former human rights victims.

The Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law says the holiday declaration disrespects history and human rights.

The older Marcos ruled the country for two decades before he was ousted from office in 1986 through a peaceful "People Power" revolution.

But 36 years later, the Marcos family is back in power.

Key words : hayashi message wang
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_22/

Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa has expressed his intention to improve Japan-China relations. He said building constructive and stable bilateral ties is a mission taken over from predecessors as a responsibility to descendants.

Hayashi made the remark in a video message at a symposium held on Monday. The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, and China's embassy in Tokyo held the event ahead of the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties on September 29.

Hayashi said Japan-China relations have made great progress over the past 50 years. He said bilateral trade has increased about 120-fold over the period and human exchanges surpassed 12 million before the spread of coronavirus.

Chinse Foreign Minister Wang Yi also addressed the symposium with a video message.

He said the leaders of the two countries turned a new page 50 years ago by overcoming hurdles with political courage and wisdom and deciding to normalize the ties.

He called for opening a future path toward happiness for the two countries and for working toward peace and development.

He also said fundamental issues related to Japan and China -- such as Taiwan -- "should not be vague."

Former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo delivered a keynote speech at the symposium in Tokyo.

He said distrust between China and Japan has apparently been deepening. He said it is very important in such a situation to deepen mutual understanding through dialogue.

Key words : okinawa relocate
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_07/

Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny has won a second term in Sunday's election.

The 62-year-old Tamaki ran as an independent. He was supported by opposition parties. His main rival was former Ginowan mayor Sakima Atsushi, who was backed by the ruling coalition.

Tamaki stressed that he will continue to take action to resolve the relocation issue of the US Futenma Air Station.

He said that he will stick to his beliefs "without wavering even a millimeter" and call on the central government to address the issue.

Tamaki was first elected governor four years ago.

During the campaign, he reiterated his opposition to the central government's plan to relocate the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station within the prefecture.

He also emphasized his first-term achievements, such as addressing child poverty.

Key words : tamaki visit
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220912_17/

Reelected Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny says the results of Sunday's gubernatorial election demonstrate the will of the people of Okinawa to oppose the relocation of a US base within the prefecture.

Tamaki was speaking to reporters on Monday a day after securing a second term as Okinawa governor.

During the campaign, he voiced his opposition to the government's plan to move the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station from Ginowan City to the less populated Henoko district of Nago City.

Tamaki said the people of Okinawa reelected him as a way to express their opposition to the plan. He indicated that he will visit Tokyo to again urge the government to give up the plan.

Tamaki also said Okinawa should continue seeking a dialogue with the government to settle the issue. But he also stressed the importance of making other moves, such as possible talks with the international community.

Key words : researchers squid
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220913_09/

Researchers in Japan say they have successfully developed an aquaculture system for squid, which is a healthy food source for fish-loving Japan but notoriously hard to breed.

A group at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University says its aquaculture technique has the potential to be commercialized.

Researchers around the world have been trying to farm squid since the 1960s with little success. That's due to the animal's aggressive trait, its strong preference for live bait and sensitivity to changes in water conditions.

The Okinawa group began its research in 2017 using a species known as oval squid, which lives off the coast of the southern Japanese prefecture.

It reared the squid from the hatchling stage to become accustomed to non-live bait, and carefully adjusted feed types and water tank sizes to reduce stress as it grew.

The group says the effort paid off, with the 90-day survival rate improved from several percent to 90 percent or higher. It says the squid has been stably bred over 10 generations without any genetic problems.

Around 450 types of squid are said to exist around the world. But the researchers say all the species of squid in Japan's waters have been declining since the 1980s. Catch volume has plunged to about 10 percent of the peak level, and prices are rising.

Researcher Nakajima Ryuta believes the aquaculture method can be applied to other types of squid. He says the group hopes to obtain a patent early next year, and work with businesses to commercialize the technology.